Analysing Soret, Dufour, and activation energy effects on heat and mass transfer thin film flow of an MHD Williamson ternary hybrid nanofluid over a non-Darcy porous stretching surface

Abstract

This study investigates the heat and mass transfer characteristics in the thin film flow of a radiative MHD Williamson ternary hybrid nanofluid (THNF) over an unsteady permeable stretching surface. This study examines the combined effects of Soret and Dufour diffusion, activation energy, and non-uniform heat absorption or generation on fluid dynamics within a non-Darcy porous medium at the surface. The THNF consists of Cu, \(Al_2O_3\), and \(TiO_2\) nanoparticles suspended in an ethylene glycol–water base fluid, chosen for its superior thermal conductivity, and enhanced heat transfer characteristics. The problem’s governing equations (PDEs) are transformed into a system of nonlinear ODEs using similarity transformations and solved using the homotopy analysis method (HAM). The impacts of essential physical parameters on fluid velocity and temperature, nanoparticle concentration, skin friction coefficient, and heat and mass transfer rates are illustrated graphically and numerically. The heat transfer rate decreases with higher Dufour number values and increases with lower Soret number values. Conversely, the opposite behaviour is observed for mass transfer. Furthermore, a comparison investigation indicates that the THNF demonstrates markedly superior heat and mass transfer rates compared to binary hybrid and mono nanofluids.